1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in a track-bound freight car comprising a longitudinally extending machine frame having opposite ends, an undercarriage at each machine frame end and supporting the machine frame on a track defining a plane, a conveyor band extending obliquely with respect to the track plane and above the machine frame in the longitudinal direction of the machine frame, the conveyor band having a lower input end above one of the undercarriages and a higher output end above the other undercarriage, and parallel side walls extending in the longitudinal direction along the conveyor band, the conveyor band constituting the bottom of a storage space defined between the side walls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A track-bound freight car of this type has been disclosed in European patent application No. 368,046, published May 16, 1990. The higher output or discharge end of the conveyor band projects beyond the end of the machine frame so that it is disposed above the lower input end of the conveyor band in a succeeding freight car. In this way, the conveyor bands of a plurality of freight cars coupled together to form a train will provide a continuous conveyance path for loading and unloading bulk material. To provide a maximum storage capacity for the bulk material in each freight car, the vertical distance between the lower input end and the higher output end of the conveyor band substantially equals the height of the side walls. In track curves, problems arise in the proper transfer of the bulk material from the higher output end of one conveyor band to the lower input end of the succeeding conveyor band since the projecting output end is farther removed from the center of the track.
In a similar freight car disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,538, the conveyor band has a lower input section extending along the bottom and an output section rising obliquely from the input section. This freight car, too, has the indicated problems in track curves.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,994 discloses a different type of freight car comprising a storage bin for bulk material and a multi-part overhead conveyor arrangement extending over the open top of the storage bin and extensible so that a selected end of the conveyor arrangement may project beyond the open top of the storage bin to overlap an adjacent end of a like overhead conveyor arrangement on an adjacent freight car. While this is not illustrated, it is mentioned that the overhead conveyor arrangement may be mounted for lateral displacement transversely to the track for proper operation in track curves.